Expandable folding box



May 1, 1962 Filed July 6, 1960 J. O. YOUNGER EXPANDABLE FOLDING BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a NTOR Jolm O. Younger ATTORNEY May 1, 1962 .1. o. YOUNGER 3,032,253

EXPANDABLE FOLDING BOX Filed July 6, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR John 0. nznger ATTORNEY trite tates Patent 3,032,253 EXPANDABLE FOLDING BOX John 0. Younger, Chicago, 111., assiguor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed July 6, 1960, Ser. No. 41,216

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-37) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may e manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me f any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to folded blank boxes which are usually formed of heavy paper or cardboard and has for its primary object to combine the features of the usual fully sealcd carton with the expandabili'y of an integral attachment for the purpose of providing increased volume into which cooperative material may be introduced when the attachment is expanded. v p

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide an expandable container for dehydrated or highly concentrated foods'requiring the addition of water or other liquid prior to consumption, the container having the space necsssary for containing dehydrated or concentrated food while in transit or storage and yet capable f being increased in volume by unfold'ng portions of the container and the erection of the walls thereof so that in the expanded state, boiling water or the like may be mixed with the dehydrated food and the reconstituted food may be maintained in the expanded container while being consumed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the cardboard blank provided with the necessary slits and fold lines for permitting the formation of the lower set-up box and the foldable extensions which permit the formation of the upper enlargement of the box;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the blank after it has been partly folded and the securing flap on an extension at one end of the blank secured to an edge of the opposie end of the blank;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the set-up portion of the box completed and sealed while the expansible portion on the top of the box is fully open;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 3, showing the expansible portion at the beginning of its counter-clockwise movement to collapsed position;

FIGURES 5 and 6 are perspective views showing further stages of the collapsing movement of the expansible portion:

FIGURE 7 is a vertical sectional view of the box as shown in FIGURE 8, taken on the line 77 of that figure;

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of the box in which the expansible portion has reached the stage shown in FIGURE FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the box in which the expansible portion has approached the final stage in the collapsing movement;-

FIGURE 10 is a plan view of the box as shown in FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken on the line 11--11 of FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a perspective view of the box in its completely closed position; and

FIGURE 13 is a section taken on the line 13-13 f FIGURE 12.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference numerals, the complete paperboard blank is indicated by the numeral 1, and is rendered liquid-proof in ice any preferred manner, as by lamination with plastic films, foils, etc., or by coating or impregnation with moistureresistant materials.

The set-up or non-expansible portion of the box which initially receives the dehydrated material, or the like, to be shipped is indicated generally by the numeral 2. The portion of the blank 1 which is employed in forming the box portion 2 comprises the four side walls 3 and seamforming flap 4, all of which are foldably connected by fold lines 5. Hingedly connected to each of the side walls 3 as by fold linzs 6 are closure flaps indicated by the numerals 7 and 8. These flaps are folded together and sealed in any preferred manner to form the boitom of the set-up box 2, as shown in FIGURES 6, 7, 9, etc. In actual practice, th s end of the box is used as the filling opening for charging the box with dehydrated food, or the like; the collapsible portion of the box, about to be de scribed, serving as the bottom of the box during the filling operation.

The upper edge of each of the side walls 3 of the set-up box is provided with a foldable extension 9 foldable along the fold line 10, and integrally, but foldably, connected to each other, as indicated by the numeral 11. To a vertical edge of one of the end extensions 9 is hingedly connected a form-seaming flap 12 adapted to be adhesively secured to an edge of the extension 9 at the opposite end of the blank, as clearly indicated in FIGURE 2. To the upper edge of the extensions 9 are hingedly connected the four closure flaps 13 and 14, each provided with a vertical fold line 15 along its mid-portion for a purpose to be presently described.

Because of the semi-rigidity or stiffness of the paperboard material of which the expansible container is made, it is necessary that the four side-wall extensions 9 be provided with not only diagonal fold lines 2020, but, also, with a horizontal fold line 21 mid-way of their heights and vertical fold lines 22 extending from the horizontal fold lines to the upper edges of the side-Wall extens'ons 9. These vertical fold lines 22 extend into the fold lines 15 heretofore referred to. of extensions 13 and 14, which permits these extensions 13 and 14 to fold along with the upper portions of the side extensions 9 when the box is beng eith r enlarged or collapsed, as shown especially in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5.

To fold down the collapsible extension of the box from the position shown in FIGURE 3 to that shown in FIG- URES 9, 10, 11 and 12, it must be turned counterclockwise (viewing the box from above), while holding the basic or set-up portion stationary, and pressing inwardly on the sides 9. When such steps are taken, the collapsibe extension will first assume the position shown in FIG- URE 4, and then by reason of the diagonal fold lines 20 in the side-wall extensions 9 and the fold lines 22 and 15, the side-wall extensions will collapse into the positions shown in FIGURES 9, 10, and 11, and then close the upper end of the basic box, as shown in FIGURES 12 and 13.

To open the box and set up the collapsible extension so that milk or other liquid may be applied to the contents of the box 2 prior to consuming the same, the basic box must be held stationary, while the upper portion is twisted in a clockwise direction. When that is done, the several fold lines, heretofore described, will cause a reverse movement of the parts so that the extension, or expandable portion, will again assume the open position shown in FIGURE 3.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have provided a novel expandable folding blank box which is capable of being converted from a rather compact box for the shipment of dehydrated foods, or the like, into a substantially larger container or bowl for receiving the necessary liquid for reconstituting the material carried in the basic box and converting it into an acceptable food to be eaten directly from the container, that the structure, which consists of a one-piece box, is relatively simple and inexpensive, that the expandable portion will stand in erected condition without the use of any stays or other extraneous bracing means, that it may be either collapsed or expanded by merely twisting the same in one direction or the other, as hereinbefore described, and that, while intended primarily for use with dehydrated or concentrated foods, it is also useful for packaged materials requiring dilution or, mixing two or more ingredients, such as water base paint, oil base pa nt, etc.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described What I now consider to be the preferred form of the invention, but, inasmuch as various minor changes may be made in structural details without departing from the spirit of the invention, it is intended that all such changes be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An expansible box formed from a blank of paperboard or the like which is cut and provided with fold lines so as to form a lower box portion having a bottom and four sides, a foldable extension on the upper edge of each of the four side walls, folding closure flaps on the upper edge of each extension, said extensions being integrally connected at their side edges, each of said extensions provided with diagonal fold lines, a horizontal fold line midway of its height, and a vertical fold line extending upwardly from the horizontal fold line through the length of the folding closure flaps, said diagonal, horizontal and vertical fold lines cooperatively merging at a common point wihin the area of the foldable extension, whereby said extensions and said folding closure flaps may be folded into collapsed position on top of said lower box portion.

2. An expansible box formed from a blank of paperboard or the like which is cut and provided with fold lines so as to form a lower box portionhaving a bottom wall and four side walls, a foldable extension on the upper edge of each of the four side walls, folding closure flaps on the upper edge of each extension, said extensions being integrally connected at their side edges and together providing capacity-increasing means for the lower box portion, each of said extensions provided with diagonal fold lines, a horizontal fold line midway of its height and a vertical fold line extending upwardly from the horizontal fold line, said vertical fold line merging with said diagonal and horizontal fold lines at the point of intersection thereof, whereby the extensions and closure flaps may be folded into collapsed position on top of said lower box portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 663,133 Shipley Dec. 4, 1900 1,407,526 Glover Feb. 21, 1922 2,013,691 Martinson Sept. 10, 1935 2,645,092 Ridnour July 14, 1953 2,791,367 Medford May 7, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,042,666 France Nov. 3, 1953 1,020,271 Germany Nov. 28, 1957 

